This specification relates to connectors for tubes, such as used in laser marking systems.
In laser marking applications, a laser marking system directs a laser beam to a product (e.g., packaging of processed food) in a particular pattern to create a mark (e.g., a sell-by date) on the product. In some cases, the scan head is mounted at the laser source, which allows the laser to print an image on a product directly. Some scan heads are mounted to the laser source through a connector arm with one or two degrees of freedom, allowing rotation(s) of the scan head relative to the laser source. However, sometimes the laser needs to be routed around one or more objects on the product line, in which cases, extension pipes have been used with traditional elbow connectors and clamps.